


Hope

by Mawgon



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-09 08:50:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5533673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mawgon/pseuds/Mawgon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A spinoff of my fanfic "The Monstrous Company". </p><p>In the middle of winter, a dwarf woman decides to leave her violent husband to save her baby daughter. She flees to Erebor, because of some faint hope, based on the rumours about female dwarves who live there now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

„There’s some crazy dwarves in Erebor now. All females, just imagine! No wonder they’re nuts. The only male has gotten married to an elf, that’s how crazy!”

Grey, cold snow everywhere, getting into her flimsy shoes, creaking under her soles. More falling from the sky. And the only hope was those few sentences she had overheard. 

Via marched on. Her feet, though she had removed the chain, were so cold she could not feel them anymore. Breathing was hard, not only because of the broken rib that hurt if she breathed too deeply. Her whole body felt so weak. Her head and joints ached, and if there hadn’t been the cold wind, her brow would have felt too hot. 

It did not matter. Nestled in her arms was her daughter, her darling little babe. So innocent. As pure as freshly fallen snow. 

And this innocent child she was now taking to Erebor, home of the crazy dwarves. If she got there. If they existed. If they’d take pity on her. 

Many ifs. 

Nil cried softly beneath the cloak. There was nothing to be done about it, Via had no milk to give her, not anymore. The travel had taken its toll. 

“It cannot be far. Only a couple of miles.” She pleaded, pleaded for her daughter to survive until then. It had not looked that far on the map she had had opportunity to steal a look at. And she had seen the mountain some days ago, before the snowfall begun. It could not be too far! 

No sane dwarf would have helped her – running away from her husband! So, her only hope were the crazy ones. Maybe they would at least take pity on Nil, even though she was just a girl.

Maybe they would even be kind to her because she was a girl. 

Via gave a raspy laugh, and immediately regretted it when sharp pain reminded her of her broken rib. What nonsense! Probably those mythical dwarves didn’t even exist. Only women! The only male married to an elf! It was impossible. 

“At least we will die together”, she murmured. “At least my husband will never ever hurt you again.”

Freezing to death was, she assumed, a rather painless death, all things considered. The cold almost enabled her to forget the fever raging in her body. 

The weakness, however, she could not forget. She would have to rest some. 

When she almost walked into some fir trees, covered by snow, Via finally collapsed. She managed to close her cloak over her daughter’s head, then she lost consciousness. 

 

“Wake up!”

Via wanted nothing more than to obey that lovely voice. With unbelievable effort, she opened her eyes. The being before her was otherworldly. A beautiful face, framed by dark hair, a green hood, all surrounded by white light. Despite female features, there was no feminine adornment on the hood, and the beard was shaven as Men did. Was this what a messenger of Mahal looked like? 

With sudden panic, Via remembered her daughter. She wanted to lift her arm, open the cloak to look if Nil was alive, but her muscles did not obey her.


	2. Chapter 2

When she opened her eyes again, the saw the beautiful face of the one who had talked to her. It was not surrounded by light this time, but by darkness and flickering shadows. “Thank Mahal you are alive.”

Oh. So she was not dead, then? She felt much too warm and comfortable to be still alive. There was some pain in her chest and her feet, though. If she was alive, then ... “Where ... ?” 

“The baby is right here.”

Via followed the gesture with her eyes and saw Nil latched onto the breast of a dwarf. Who smiled kindly. “Your daughter, I assume?”

“Yes.” 

“Was anyone else with you?”, the beautiful being asked. 

“No.”

“Good. I mean, then I won’t have to go search for anyone. Traveling alone is very dangerous, though. Why would you do that? You don’t have to answer! Just ... if you feel well enough?”

So maybe she was alive. Surely, in Mahal’s halls, such endearing hasty talking was not to be found. Everything would be grave and dignified. 

Which meant this place, where there were dwarves, who had placed her in a nice bed and one of whom was breastfeeding her daughter, must be ... “Erebor.”

“That’s where we are, yes. Lost your way in the snowstorm? Happens to the best of us. Um ... I have bad news for you, I am sorry.”

“What?!” Her heart raced. Would they turn her away? Do something horrible to her daughter? 

“Sorry to upset you, but I thought you’d better know now ... your little toe ... on the right foot ... we, that is, our healer, could not save it. Had to take it off.”

“Take it off?” She had not paid much attention to her toes. They hurt, but that was expected. 

“Amputate. You ... only have four toes on your right foot, now.”

She laughed, then coughed. A toe! As if she would be upset about a toe! 

“That doesn’t sound good. Here, drink this. It will help with your lungs.” A cup with warm liquid was brought to her lips, and Via realized there was a pillow in her back, or maybe two, propping her up to a seating position. 

She swallowed. The liquid was bitter and she could identify the taste of garlic. 

“Tastes horrid, I know.” The beautiful dwarf gave her an apologetic smile. “I’m Kíli, by the way. What’s your name?”

“Via, ...” A coughing fit interrupted her introduction. Kíli took the cup away swiftly enough so that she could spill no liquid. 

“No need. Really, I should have been more considerate.”

“I’m Bofur.” The dwarf with the kind smile said. “Kíli, didn’t you want to tell her something?”

“Tell her ... oh, right.” Kíli looked at Via again. “You are welcome to stay here as long as you need to recover. It is obvious, really, but Óin thought you’d like to know for sure. Óin is our healer.”

“And I will breastfeed your babe, if that’s alright. Óin says you’re half starved and shouldn’t do too much feeding.”

“Thank you.” What had happened to Bofur’s own child? Should she ask? 

Talking was painful, and saying something sympathetic would be hard, so she’d better not mention it. 

Kíli gave her a worried look. “You should really drink this. May I hold your head up for you?”

“Yes”, she managed. 

Kíli placed a warm hand on her head and tilted it upward. “There. Breathe deeply – not while you are drinking, of course! – Òin thinks the broken rib might have contributed to you catching this illness, what with not breathing deeply enough.”

When she had drunken all of the potion, Kíli let her head sink back. “If I may, I will take care of your hair while you sleep. It is a bit tangled.”

Via smiled. That would be nice.


	3. Chapter 3

She ran. Faster and faster, almost flying. They were close, so close, but she had to escape, just had to. Her daughter looked up at her. “Run!”

There were firtrees, branches sliding across her head, slowing her down. Stroking her head. They would protect her. 

 

Via opened her eyes, heart still racing. A nightmare. Just a nightmare. She was home in her warm bed and ... home? No, this was not home. At home, no one would comb her hair. 

The hands in her hair halted. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.” She felt ill, the fever now burning hot in her body, and she was sweating, but she was in a warm bed and being cared for, and they did not seem to want her to get up and work. “Nil?”

“Is that your daughter’s name? She’s right there, in the cradle.” Kíli gestured towards the corner of the candlelit room. “We thought we’d better keep her a bit away from you since you might be infectious. Do you want to see her?”

“Not if she is asleep.” No need to wake her. Finally, they both could sleep in peace. “Bofur’s child ...?” 

“Don’t worry. Amber is quite a bit older than your daughter, she already eats mashed vegetables and won’t suffer from getting less milk.”

“She was not here.”

“Amber? Oh, Bofur cannot carry her around all the time – others want a turn, too. There’s her aunts, Bombur and Bifur, and of course, her father, Bilbo.”

“Father?” So they were not all women? What else was false about the rumours?

“Yes ... you are surprised because that’s not a dwarf name? Bilbo isn’t a dwarf. He’s a hobbit. It is quite the long story, but since you are probably bored, I could as well tell it to you.” 

Kíli’s tale began with thirteen dwarves imposing themselves on an unsuspecting hobbit. Even though Kíli apparently tried to tone the hilarity down, Via still had to laugh at some parts, making the pain in her chest worse. 

“And then Bofur says something about dragons, can’t remember what, and Bilbo faints!” Kíli looked at Via. “Are you alright?”

Apparently her weak efforts to get up had been noticed. “I ... I need the privy.”

“Oh, of course. We have a chamber pot here. Do you need some help?”

Via closed her eyes. She did need help, being too weak to even get up. But she didn’t want Kíli to help her. Not the enchantingly beautiful being she had first mistaken for a messenger of Mahal. It just didn’t feel right. “Please ... get the healer?”

The kind smile vanished from Kíli’s face. “Oh. Of course.”

For some reason she seemed disappointed. 

 

Óin was old and looked much more like a normal dwarf than Kíli. Being a healer, she had also probably seen everything, which helped a bit with the embarrassment. 

“How are we today? Terribly sorry about your toe, there was nothing to be done, it was all black. I can show you if you want.”

Her expression probably made it very clear that she did not want. 

“So, you need some help with using the pot. Let’s get it over with.” Óin was surprisingly strong, heaving Via out of bed with no difficulty whatsoever – or maybe it was because Via had gotten so thin. 

She was wearing a nightgown, so it was not that bad ... though someone, somewhen must have taken off her clothes and put her into the nightgown. Via just hoped it had not been Kíli. Having never been beautiful, she now was certainly nothing to look at. 

When she was safely back in bed, Óin gave her an inquiring look. “How come your rib was broken, lass?”

Via stared at her. She couldn’t... if she told them that her husband had beaten her, they would agree that she had deserved it, and then ...

“Oh, stupid me, of course you don’t want to talk much. Just get back to sleep, I will see to it that you get some soup. Do you want someone other than Kíli to sit with you?”

“No! Kíli is ... nice.”

Óin smiled kindly. “Alright then.”

 

A quiet noise came from the corner. Via tried to jump out of bed, but was held back by Óin’s hand. “I will fetch her.”

Óin took Nil from the cradle and presented her to Via. Nil’s small face was already much rosier than when she had last seen her. 

“I will go change her, and tell Kíli to return.”

“Please.” It must be a dream. They were all so kind. And yet ... it all seemed so real. If it was just a dream, born from her hopes, when why did her daughter need diapers, why did she have to use the chamberpot? 

 

Kíli returned soon, a smile on her face. “Do you want to hear more about our adventure?” she asked when she had sat down on the chair next to the bed. 

“Yes, please.”

“Where was I? Ah, yes. So, Bilbo faints ...”

“So the rumours are true?” Via asked when Kíli had gotten to the planning phase part. “You really live without males, here?”

Kíli nodded. “Mostly. There is Bilbo, of course, but he’s not like male dwarves. And then there’s Gimli, but he only stays here sometimes.”

“Is he the one they say married an elf?”

“That would be Gimli, yes.” Kíli chuckled. “Dain was furious when Thranduil declared that he intended to protect Erebor because of that marriage. I would have liked to see his face.”

“How did he persuade Thranduil to marry his daughter to him?” 

“Oh, well ...” Kíli gently stroked her hair. “That will likely shock you quite a bit ... I wouldn’t want to upset you while you are sick.”

“Nothing will shock me”, Via assured her. “Just as long as my daughter is safe.”

“Alright then. The story is quite complicated. You see, Gimli is married to Thranduil’s son.”

“Oh.” This was weird, and impossible, but in a dream, it made sense. 

“Gimli was to be executed for some petty crime, Legolas bought him, so the consent of Gimli’s father was not needed.”

“And Thranduil ...?”

Kíli shrugged. “Elven law does not require the consent of the parents, but instead highly values the consent of the married couple. Thranduil seems to approve, though. My aunt, Thorin, made some clever decisions to get into the elven king’s good graces well before that marriage, and now we reap the fruits of that.”

“Clever decisions?” Via bit her lower lip. How would a female dwarf ingratiate herself to an elven king? What would he demand in exchange for his protection?

“She decided to hold no grudge over his imprisonment of us, and instead sent him some elvish necklace we found in the treasure. We had no use for it anyway. A good investment.”

“Imprisonment?”

“We went through Mirkwood on the way here, and Thranduil accused us of trespassing. His guards treated us decently, though.”

“They did?”

“Oh yes. Elves are not nearly as bad as people would have you believe.”

Kíli told her wondrous tales of the Woodland Realm, where there were female guards and prisoners were fed fine white bread and fresh water, even fruit. After a while, there was a knock on the door and Óin entered. “I have made an ointment for your chest – should take away some of the pain and help cure the infection. You are probably not yet strong enough to apply it yourself ...”

“I can do it!” Kíli volunteered immediately. 

Óin looked at Via. “You be comfortable with that, lass? Or would you rather have me do it?”

Kíli blushed. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to ...”

“No, it’s alright.” After all,she didn’t want to give the impression that she didn’t like Kíli. 

Óin helped pull her nightgown up while covering her lower half with the blankets. Then she handed a jar to Kíli. “Here, right over the lungs – it won’t smell pleasant, I’m afraid. Keep it off the nipples, when her milk returns the babe should still want to feed.”

It smelled of garlic and other herbs, and a bit of fir tree. Kíli was every bit as gentle as she had expected, and the pain seemed to lessen as soon as the ointment was rubbed into her skin. 

Suddenly, the door opened and someone entered. 

Via froze and gazed in horror at the male dwarf in full formal attire. At least her breasts were still half covered by the nightgown ...

“What do you´think you are doing here?”, Kíli demanded, turning to shield her from view. 

“I am your king”, the stranger declared. 

“So what? You frighten her!” Kíli turned around, pulled the blanket over Via and took her hand. “What are you doing here, aunt? Want to help?”, she asked over her shoulder. 

“I need to ask our guest some questions. Our safety is at stake!”

With Kíli’s reassuring hand in hers, Via calmed down a bit and recognized the newcomer’s voice as female. Aunt. So this was Thorin. She was not sure if she was less frightened than before, or more. 

“Ask if you must, but make it quick – she needs rest!”

“I shall. Tell me why you decided to come here, stranger, how you survived the travel, and whom you told about your plans.”

Some moments, Via was too frightened to speak. 

“I told no one”, she began with trembling voice. “I just ... heard rumours about dwarves in Erebor. My daughter was in danger at home, so I came here.”

“What danger would be great enough for you to embark on such a journey in winter ... with an infant, on your own?”

“She could have been killed!”

“By whom?”

“My husband.” Now, she trembled. To let them know that she had left her husband ...

Kíli squeezed her hand reassuringly “You are safe here.”

“Your husband. What a nice story.”

“He broke your rib, didn’t he?”, Óin interjected. 

“I thought ... they said you were all women ... you would understand ... my daughter is innocent!”

“Leave her alone, aunt”, Kíli said firmly. “Why do you think did she come here, other than in hope of protection?”

“As a new mother, she cannot have survived the journey from the Iron Mountains. What would she have eaten? Do you not think it more likely that she was brought here by Dain and his dwarves, to ...”

“She has eaten nothing for several days, if not longer”, Óin interrupted. “It is quite obvious to a healer.”

“And even if she had been brought here to spy on us”, Kíli stated calmly “Why would she be loyal to them? She was almost dead when I found her! 

“You know nothing of the world”, Thorin replied. “Why has any of us ever been loyal to male dwarves, when most of them only wanted to harm us? I picked the members of this company very carefully, many would have betrayed us as slavery had messed with their minds.”

“If you don’t trust me”, Via whispered. “Then just lock the door of this room. I have no desire to leave. Please – just let me stay. I will do everything you want.”

“See what you have done?” Kíli spat at Thorin. “Don’t be ridiculous. Go and talk to Bilbo, he might make you see reason.”

“Fine.” Thorin stomped out and threw the door shut. 

“Thank you”, Via murmured when Kili turned towards her. 

“I am sorry”, Kíli put a cool hand on her feverish brow, then petted her hair, combing through the braids she had earlier plaited. “Aunt Thorin is not always like this. Once, before we left, my father threatened to beat me. She turned the oaken dining table on its side and used it as shield to protect me and herself. She is the best aunt I could wish for ... but he has done terrible things to her, and she is always in fear ... please do not hold it against her.”

She, holding anything against the “king”? “I am only a guest here.”

“I shall talk to her. You are a new citizen of Erebor, as far as I am concerned. She will see reason once she talked to Bilbo. He always calms her down.”

“How?”

Kíli smiled. “No idea, he just does. He is her ... he is hers.”

“Her husband? But ... Amber?”

“Not her husband, no. It is complicated. He is Amber’s father, yes, and Bofur likes him very much and the other way round, but he is not married to Bofur. And not to Thorin, either. Though he is ... well. Her special friend, one might say, but that isn’t really accurate. He is Thorin’s, that is the easiest way of describing it.”

“Ah.” Complicated indeed. Yet she was in no position to complain. “Is there any danger that he might walk in here?”

“We will lock the door when another treatment becomes necessary” Óin assured her. “This will not happen again. There, let me pull your nightgown down properly.” The old dwarf removed the blanket and gently pulled the gown down to Via’s legs.

“Bilbo has much better manners than aunt Thorin, I’m embarrassed to admit.” Kíli grinned. “He wouldn’t walk in without knocking. Or walk in here uninvited, anyway. And in case you are worried, Gimli is not here at the moment, he is with his husband.”

“The elf.”

“The elf.”

It was details such as this that made her doubt the realness of it all. Maybe it was just a feverish dream, albeit a nice one. 

After Óin had left, and Kíli had told her some more about their journey, Via finally dared ask: “Why are you here with me? You seem to be a hunter ... surely it is not your task ...?”

Kíli smiled. “I found you, out there in the snow. Dragging you and your daughter to the nearest entrance into the mountain was hard work, you know? I had to use my cloak and some firtree branches for a makeshift sleigh. Of course I want to make sure it wasn’t all for nothing!” 

“Do you not need to hunt?”

“No worries, we have enough food. Besides, the weather isn’t good for hunting anyway.” Kíli frowned. “Would you prefer Óin to sit with you? I mean, I won’t blame you, she is a healer and I’m not, so ...”

“No! No, it is ...”

“You don’t have to explain.”

“It is just because ... when you found me, I thought I was dead.”

“Oh!”

“And that you were some sort of, I don’t know ... messenger of Mahal. You do have the looks for it ...” Strange, yet beautiful. 

Kíli gave a nervous little laugh. “I should think they look a bit grander than I do.”

“Act more solemn, maybe.” Via smiled. “It just ... didn’t feel right, that you should have to help me with the chamberpot.”

“Oh. I am not as grand as all that, really”, Kíli replied after a pause. “Just an ordinary dwarf ... well, not so very ordinary, obviously, the Company are not at all ordinary dwarves. Still, no need to be shy.”

“I would still prefer Óin to help me with ... those things, if it is all the same to you?”

“Of course.”

The following days, Via had no idea how much time passed. She would sleep until she awoke, drink fatty broths that smelled strongly of herbs, see her daughter a couple of times, use the chamberpot as needed, be treated with some ointment or the other, and sleep some more. 

When she was awake, Kíli told her the story of the reclaiming of Erebor, or just sat with her silently. 

The only thing that made her aware of the progress of time was that her daughter’s voice became stronger, and that her own strength slowly returned.


	4. Chapter 4

It was dark when Via woke up. She could see nothing, only hear. The desperate crying of her daughter. Where was Nil? What was HE doing to her?   
Summoning all her strength, Via rose, stumbled out of bed and over the cold stone floor, almost blind in the darkness. After some fumbling around she found a door and pushed it open. 

Now, the crying was joined by a whispering voice. 

“There, there, don’t cry little one, your mother needs to sleep. We will get you some milk in an instant.”

Kíli. Of course. She was in Erebor. She was safe. 

“Give her to me”, demanded a sleepy voice. “Let’s get this over with, or she’ll wake Amber, too.”

The crying ceased, and Via collapsed on the floor. The stone was cold under her shivering body, even though the nightgown was of thick flannel. 

“Did you hear that?” Kíli walked towards her. “Oh! Via! So sorry, I thought you were asleep.”

“Sorry”, she murmured. “Shouldn’t have ...” 

Kíli knelt down next to her. “You were worried. It is only natural. Now, I can try to carry you back, if that is alright with you? Not sure I am strong enough ...”

“Please, if you would ...” Being carried back to the warm bed sounded so good. 

Kíli scooped her up in strong arms, and pressed her against a warm bosom. Via felt better instantly. 

“Can ... can Nil come back to me?”, she asked when Kíli set her down on the bed. 

“I actually wanted to ask you if she can stay with Bofur for the nights ... but I will get her right now. We can ask Óin about it tomorrow.”

After tucking Via in, Kíli left, then returned with Bofur and Nil. 

“It’s no trouble”, Bofur assured her, the sleepyness and annoyed tone from before gone from her voice. “Óin says breastfeeding could be dangerous to your health while you’re so thin, so we shouldn’t be in a hurry to get your milk to return.”

They only allowed Nil to suckle what little milk Via had about once a day, and that just to prevent discomfort. 

“I am better”, Via insisted. 

“Aye, but not by much”, Bofur replied. “Of course it’s up to you. Just saying, it’s no trouble at all.” 

 

Via drifted back to sleep. When she awoke, it was morning, and Kíli was asleep on the bag of straw in the room’s corner.   
Dim light fell through windows in the ceiling and illuminated Kíli’s sleeping form. It was a truly beautiful sight, with Kíli trying to hide her face in the pillow. 

Kíli groaned, turned around, saw Via watching her, and woke up fully. “Good morning”, she mumbled in the voice of someone who would have liked to sleep a bit longer, but considered it inevitable to get up. 

“Good morning. I am sorry for keeping you up tonight.”

“You keeping me up? Rather the other way around.”

“It was my daughter who woke you up.”

“Well, technically, yes, but babies are a force of nature. Doesn’t really count.” Kíli grinned and combed through her hair with one hand. “Do you need anything?”

“May I see my daughter?”

“What? Oh, of course!”

Kíli hastily got up and strode over to the cradle. When she returned to the bedside, she was carrying a healthy, rosy, peacefully sleeping baby. 

“She looks so well! Give my thanks to Bofur”, Via whispered. 

“Oh, as she said, it is really no trouble.” Kíli placed Nil on her stomach. “But I will, of course.”

There was a world of a difference between Nil’s rosy cheeks now, and the sickly blue colour she had been while they had been wandering through the snowstorm. Via carefully extended a hand to touch her daughter and marveled at the warmth. 

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. 

“That must be Óin.” Kíli went to the door and opened. It was, indeed, the healer who entered. 

“Be quiet, the baby is asleep!”, Kíli hissed. 

“What?”

Kíli gestured towards Via, but it was too late, Nil already stirred. 

“I wanted to ask whether I will be allowed to breastfeed her again”, Via said. “Properly, I mean.”

“Well, well, that would certainly decrease the risk of her getting infected.”

Via frowned. She was in no mood for joking. “If you are against it, just say so.”

“Not against it. Just, I hope you are not a picky eater.”

“I will eat whatever you want me to.” Via wrapped her arms around her daughter protectively. “Just let her stay with me.”

Óin nodded sagely. “I will tell Bilbo.” 

When the door had closed behind her, Via pulled down the nightgown’s neckline to feed her daughter. 

“Óin is right, you know. You’re only skin and bones yourself. You will need to keep more solid food down from now on.” Kíli rearranged the pillows to help her sit more comfortably. 

“I know.” Holding her daughter again would make everything worth it. She had to drink the horrid medicine already – how much worse could it get?

“Why did Óin say she’d tell Bilbo?”

“Now that you mention it, that’s strange. Bombur is the best cook here when it comes to dwarven food. Bilbo is pretty good, sure, but he uses lots of vegetables. Green ones, too. It’s an acquired taste.”

So she would just have to eat foreign food. Absolutely worth it. 

When she was finished feeding, Kíli picked her daughter up. “She has beautiful eyes”, Kíli mumbled as she carried the baby to the cradle. “Just like you.”

Via hoped her blushing wouldn’t be visible on her fever heated face. Her eyes were one of the few features she actually liked in herself. “You really think so?”

“Why, yes. A splendid green. Just like my favourite shade of emerald.”

“Oh.” She, too, had noticed the resemblance. Maybe, in another world, the child would be called Emerald. “Why is Amber called Amber?”

Kíli carefully placed Emerald, no, Nil, in the cradle. “Apparently, it’s a hobbit tradition to give girls flower names. Bofur decided to tweak it a little.”

“And Bilbo didn’t object?”

“It was more than he expected, honouring the traditions of his people. He wouldn’t expect a daughter to be called after him, it’s not the way of his people.” Kíli rocked the cradle a bit. “He’s very nice, especially compared to our males. I will introduce you when you’re better.”

In the late morning, Óin came, carrying a bowl of stew. “Here, you will have to eat that up. I will watch.”

It tasted surprisingly good, even though her sense of smell was numbed by the illness. “What is it?”

“Bone marrow and liver, among other things. An old family recipe of Bilbo’s, apparently. He says it’s just the thing for a nursing mother. I used to give people the bone marrow on a spoon, this recipe is much better, don’t you think?”

“Very much. Send him my thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Between the different sources of calcium, I do think movieverse dwarves prefer bone marrow to broccoli. Still hard to write for me - I much prefer broccoli.


	5. Chapter 5

Among Kíli’s telling of their adventures and the food she was brought, Via soon came to see Bilbo as someone she almost knew already. 

Same with others of the Company. She could almost see them standing there, Ori the scribe, Bifur with the axe in her head, Dwalin, the warrior with all the tattoos. 

The most curious she was about Bilbo, and about Sigrid, the dragon-slayer. 

“Do you want to go to the Solstice celebration?” Kíli asked one day. “It’s nothing special, just a nice feast with music and so on.”

“Gladly. If ... if it is not too much trouble? I am not sure I can sit up for long ...”

“Nothing to worry about. I can carry you there, and then we will have a nice, comfy armchair for you to sit in.”

“Someone could catch my illness ...”

“We have a big table. I will sit next to you, anyway, and the others can keep their distance. I’ll ask Óin about the risks.”

“And ... where are my clothes?” It was the first time she remembered the clothes she had arrived in. They were nothing special, just the most practical, warm garments she had been able to find. Still better than a nightgown.

“They must be somewhere, I’m sure we kept them. But wouldn’t you like to wear something a bit fancier?”

“Fancier?”

“We have plenty of silk and velvet. And pelt. You see, most of us got used to wearing clothes for males, they’re so much more practical. But if you want to wear some nice dress, we have plenty of those lying around from, you know, before the dragon came.”

In the end, Via opted for a nice woolen dress, better than her husband would have allowed her to buy, but not too much above her station. She had chosen a deep green to match with her eyes – somehow, the fact that Kíli liked her eyes made her happier than it should have. 

Kíli braided her hair in the most intricate fashion, something Via would never have had the time for in the Iron Mountains. 

“Do you feel well enough to braid my hair?”, Kíli asked shyly afterwards. “Just some simple braids?”

“Of course!” She had often seen a single braid at the back of Kíli’s head, that only encompassed half of the hair there, so she did her best to imitate it. 

Kíli looked splendid in male attire, all dark blue velvet. 

“Now, let us go.”

Bofur had come to fetch Nil previously, so all that remained was for Kíli to lift up Via into her arms and carry her. 

On the way, Via admired the high hallways, all decorated with the most exquisite stonemasonry. 

“The home of my ancestors”, Kíli said, beaming with pride. 

“It is splendid.” What was even more impressive was the decorations of holly that adorned the walls. Green leaves and red berries, just like Via was used to – only that she had not pricked her fingers in gathering those holly leaves. 

“There we are.”

They entered a hall which was lit by many candles, and decorated with even more holly and fir twigs. 

Via looked at the unfamiliar faces and tried to guess who was who. Dwalin was easy enough, and the human girl must be Sigrid. The blonde one next to Sigrid would be Fíli, but the one with the impressive head of red hair Via wasn’t sure about. 

“Company, this is Via.” Kíli introduced her as she placed her in a plushy red velvet armchair. “Via, this is Glóin, Óin you already know, Bifur, you already know Bofur ...”

As the introductions continued, Via felt herself inable to look away from the babies in Bofur’s arms. There was Nil, all round and rosy-cheeked, and then there was this tiny wee thing ... was this Bofur’s own daughter? They must have lied about her age, she looked like born much too early ...

“Bilbo, our expert for distracting dragons ...”

“Oh, stop it!”

Via’s gaze flicked to the upper end of the table, where the most curious little creature sat. Bilbo could only be half her size, had a head full of short curls, and a round, merry face with no beard at all. If there weren’t the pointy ears, she might have mistaken him for a human child. 

He cleared his throat. “I mean, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Via. Kíli is exaggerating, I hardly did anything.”

“So you didn’t save Thorin’s live?”

“Oh, well, I might have, by mere accident. I am not much of a fighter, you know?”

Via smiled. A most curious creature indeed. No male dwarf would ever admit to not being much of a fighter, even if it were the truth. 

“If Kíli is to be believed, not much is rather a lot”, she replied. 

“As I say, she exaggerates.”

The tiny baby in Bofur’s arm started to whine quietly, and immediately, the dwarf next to her picked it up and passed it to the next one, until Bilbo held it. “Excuse me please. Amber needs a new diaper.” He climbed off the chair and hurried towards the side of the room, where there was a table with a blanket on it, apparently for this very purpose. 

“Amber is so tiny”, Via whispered to Kíli, who sat next to her. “Did she really get enough milk?”

“She comes after her father. No worries, he says hobbit babies are always so small.”

Via gave a sigh of relief. So Bofur had told the truth. 

When Bilbo returned, she got a good look at Amber, and indeed, the head of curly hair made it obvious who the father was. 

“The decorations are lovely”, Via remarked to change the topic. 

“Why, thank you very much!” Bilbo beamed. “I had to use a ladder go get them up there. Cheers the place right up, don’t you think?”

Indeed, the hobbit was full of surprises. 

Thorin entered the room accompanied by a big dwarf who by the description and who was still missing must be Bombur. They both were carrying trays of food, to add to the massive amounts already on the table. 

Thorin set the tray down and filled her cup with mead. Everyone did the same, and they all raised their cups when she did. “To our new citizens, Via and Nil.”

Via very nearly forgot to raise her cup and drink with the others. She was still trembling when she set the cup down again. 

“See? I said she’d see reason”, Kíli whispered after emptying her cup.

Via didn’t eat much, but marveled at the readiness with which she was accepted. Everyone wanted to hold Nil, especially those who had not seen a dwarf baby before and were surprised how big she was in comparison to Amber.   
The women freely shared stories on why they had chosen to run away, and Via realized that they were not so different from her – indeed, she could see why Thorin would have thought her story invented, it fit so well with what everyone had experienced. 

When most of the food was eaten and everyone was full, they started clear the table. Via tried to get up, but was held back by Kíli’s hand on her shoulder. “Don’t.”  
It felt lazy to stay seated when everyone was busy, but Via had to admit it was also a relief. She wouldn’t have managed to hold Nil in one arm and carry plates with the other, as Bifur did with Amber.   
Dessert, in the form of a plateful of cookies was fetched from the kitchen, and Kíli sat down next to Via again.   
“Do you want to stay?” she whispered. “If you’re too exhausted, I can carry you back to your bed.”

“I’d like to stay some”, Via replied, as she had noticed that Thorin was busy with a big harp. She hadn’t heard harp music for so long, she could barely remember how it sounded. 

Everyone was silent when Thorin started to play. For a while, the only sound that filled the ancient halls was the ethereal sound of music. 

Then, Nil started crying. 

Via tried to hide in her seat, wishing she had not opted to stay. While Thorin was a very good harpist, it really was not worth the mortification. 

“Is she hungry?” Kíli whispered. 

“No, I think ...” Feeding her could have been done stealthily, but ...

“Ah, I see. May I?” Kíli took Nil from her arms and got up. Just like that. Via heard her murmur soothing words. 

When the crying stopped, the music continued as if nothing had happened, and in due time, Kili returned to the table, rocking Nil in her arms.


	6. Chapter 6

When there was a pause in the music, Via bowed over to Kíli and whispered: “Please ... could you help me return to my room?”

Kíli nodded, walked round the table to hand Nil over to Bofur, and returned to lift Via into her arms. 

“You are very strong”, Via murmured as they left the hall. 

“Not so very strong”, Kíli replied. “Using the bow builds strength, yes, but I am still worried I can carry you so easily. You need to put on some weight.”

When they arrived at the room, Kíli was a bit out of breath, but still carried Via all the way to the bed and set her down gently. 

“I must look horrible”, Via acknowledged. 

“What? No! You look lovely, especially today. A bit under the weather, but that’s because you’re sick, obviously.”

“I’m much too thin.” 

“Yes, you are, but ...” Kíli started to undo the laces that held Via’s dress closed at the back. “It’s not a matter of looks. Sigrid likely doesn’t weigh much more than you, and that’s alright, she’s human. No one thinks she looks bad. You, though ... you ... I’m just worried. You weighed more before you left the Iron Mountains, did you?”

“Yes ...”

“Well, we all made sacrifices to get here. Some more than others. Maybe I can show you my scars somewhen.” Kíli was finished with the laces and pulled the fabric over Via’s head. “While I do hope that you will regain your usual weight soon, there’s no reason to worry about how you look in the meantime. None of us has to attract a husband, anyway, so it really doesn’t matter.”

“Maybe ...” Via allowed her body to go limp and fall against Kíli’s chest. “It just seems so strange ...” Something else was strange. “Where are my ankle bracelets?” She had tried to get them off for the journey, but as her husband held the key, she had had to wrap the cold metal in fabric, and tear apart one link of the chain in the middle, in order to walk in the deep snow. As she gazed down on her feet now, she could see only the bandages put there by Óin. 

“Somewhere with your clothes, I suppose, though I cannot guarantee they are intact. Thorin may have decided to make something more useful out of them. They were silver, weren’t they?”

“Yes ...”

“They obviously still belong to you, but I hope you will forgive us if it turns out you now own a nice set of silver cutlery. Thorin is not very fond of ankle bracelets, you know?”

“Why?”

“Well, they are the very symbol of what she hates.” Kíli pulled the blanket over her and tucked it in at the edges. “What we all dislike a lot, I should say, but Thorin is the one whose anger is most fierce.”


End file.
